An Early Encounter
by chuckscharles
Summary: What if Mr. Collins had come to Longbourn in November 1810, a year before the events of Pride and Prejudice.
1. Chapter 1

In March 1811, on her way to London, Elizabeth was remembering the events of the last few months. A twelvemonth ago the young woman would have never imagined that she would be traveling to Kent to spend a few weeks with her cousin and the new Mrs. Collins.

Mr. Collins, a young man of five and twenty, had come to visit his cousin's family, the Bennets, during the month of November. And although his stay did not exceed a fortnight he succeeded in returning to Kent as an engaged man.

By his own merit, and the help of his patroness, Mr. Collins was the new rector of Hunsford in Kent and by the merit of the entail weighing on Longbourn, the dwelling of the Bennets, he was his cousin's heir. His sudden arrival had different effects on the members of the Bennet family.

Elizabeth had not spent more than a day in his company that she already knew that Mr. Collins the most pompous and silly man she ever met. However, his visit was a good distraction, there was little diversity in the neighbourhood and the opportunities to study a new character were sparse.

The eldest, Jane, although sharing the same opinion, was not one to express her thoughts so frankly, therefore, she refrained from commenting on her cousin. Mary, the third of the Bennet girls, seemed to show much more cordiality towards Mr. Collins and the two youngest, Kitty and Lydia, they did not give a second of their thoughts to the newcomer.

Both parents had very different opinions about Mr. Collins' stay. Mr. Bennet shared Elizabeth's opinion and took a great amusement to observe his cousin. His wife did not understand her husband's carelessness about their future.

Mrs. Bennet did not delude herself, she understood perfectly that when her husband would die her daughters and herself would have to leave Longbourn. It was impossible for them to live with only £ 200 a year, they would have to live on the charity of her brother and sister.

Of course a nice alternative would be that one of their daughters find a husband rich enough to maintain the whole family. Jane being the first in age and beauty was the most able to save the Bennets, unfortunately rich gentlemen were rather a rare commodity. The second-best alternative would be for one of them to marry Mr. Collins, so they would not have to leave Longbourn at all.

Thus, it was with joy that Mrs. Bennet watched, only a couple of day after the young man arrival, Mr. Collins' attention to Jane. As for Elizabeth she was horrified, she couldn't understand how such a man might think to be worthy of her dear sister. As usual Jane was too polite and reserved to show any embarrassment or irritation to Mr. Collins. At first Elizabeth admired her sister's restraint but then a fear filled her, Jane could let herself be persuaded to marry their cousin.

Jane was all kindness and sometimes this goodness turned against her, the young woman could easily be convinced if the arguments came from someone she loved. Elizabeth did not doubt that their mother would succeed in convincing Jane that the advantages of this marriage for their family were more important than the lack of love and happiness in her marriage. Although the two sisters were very close and adored each other Elizabeth could see that Jane's qualities could harm her, her character was such that she wanted to please others to the point she could forget herself.

It was therefore Elizabeth's duty to protect her sister, she had to act before things became irreversible. She began with a few remarks, only a few compliments highlighting all the qualities of her elder sister. Surprisingly Mr. Collins was her biggest support, nodding at every compliment, pointing out many times how a young woman like Jane was rare, and thus, so precious.

Of course, Mr. Bennet understood immediately the scheme of his favourite daughter and for all reaction merely laughed at the scenes. After two days, Mrs. Bennet started to understand the behaviour of her daughter too and if Elizabeth wasn't her favourite child she couldn't denied that she was the smartest one, maybe there was some wisdom in her plot. It was true that Mr. Collins would have a good fortune in the future, but Jane's beauty could attract a much bigger, richer fish, maybe one of her other daughters would be better suit to the clergyman.

Mrs. Bennet spent the night thinking about the best course of action for her family and the next morning, after a short interview with Mr. Collins, Jane was safe from his attention. When Elizabeth witnessed the change of attitude of the parson she congratulated herself, but her felicity was only of short duration and soon gave way to embarrassment.

Her cousin, persisting in his desire to choose a wife among the Bennet girls, reported his praises on Elizabeth. The young woman tried immediately to show him their unsuitability, but the young man did not seem to understand her warnings.

Elizabeth was embarrassed not only by his attitude but also by the thought that he would end up proposing to her, she imagined with horror the scene and the repercussions that her refusal would provoke. But she was of a decided character and was not afraid to speak frankly when it was necessary to do so, she could bear the consequences when the time came but she did not wish to anticipate them unnecessarily and upset herself for nothing. Thus, she decided to ignore her cousin, letting him say what he wanted without encouraging him, in a few days he would be gone, and she was hopeful that they would not see him again anytime soon.

To add to the awkward situation the weather was so bad that all the household was confined inside, thus making impossible any outing or visit, Mr. Collins thus had the luxury of devoting all his care to his charming cousin.

Finally, three days before his departure, Mr. Collins asked for a private interview with Elizabet. As soon as they were alone, Mr. Collins hastened to recite the declaration which he had prepared the day before. This was the first proposal that Elizabeth received and would be, hopefully, the only ridiculous one. At first the girl tried to refuse politely, she did not wish to inflate more pain than necessary, but before the obtuseness of her cousin she quickly lost her patience. After a clear and categorical refusal, she took refuge in her father's study, the weather forbidding her to go outside.

At her entrance, Mr. Bennet contented himself with turning a look of amusement towards his daughter.

"The best-laid schemes o 'mice an' men ..."

Elizabeth could not help blushing, after all her situation was due to her plan she had thought so clever but had proved disastrous for her.

"So, I suppose Mr. Collins decided to propose and of course you refused it"

Elizabeth nodded, her head leaning forward, staring at the ground.

"Well, when your mother will have learned about this we shall have no peace" he lamented. But his frown gave way to a new mocking smile. "I fear that the only way for your mother to forgive you is for you to find a husband who has at least twice the financial merit of Mr. Collins."

Elizabeth did not laugh with her father, she knew he was teasing, that he would never let her mother force her to marry a man she did not want to marry, but there were some truths in his remarks. They were not rich, at least not enough to keep their way of living when their father would not be there anymore. If none of them married a gentleman rich enough, they would have to turn to their uncles and aunts to provide for themselves. Jane and Elizabeth had accepted this truth a long time ago, for them a financially harder life was preferable than a life of sentimental misery. But they also knew that their mother, Kitty and Lydia would have a hard time accepting their new situation.

Mrs. Bennet would certainly be angry that Elizabeth had refused the possibility of securing Longbourn and her anger would probably last a few weeks. Luckily soon the Gardiners would come from London to spend Christmas with them, there would be enough distractions for her mother to calm down and begin to accept Elizabeth's refusal. And after the New Year her uncle and aunt would take her for some time, so she would at least have the relief of not hearing her mother's complaints any more.

However, to the surprise of the whole family, Mrs. Bennet said almost nothing when she learned of the proposal. Her first impulse had been to be indignant until her daughter resigned herself to accept Mr. Collins. But Mrs. Bennet knew Elizabeth, she had always been like her father, too stubborn for her own good, she knew that nothing could change her mind. Mr. Collins was to leave in two days, if Mrs. Bennet wanted to act it was necessary she acted quickly.

When the man had turned his regard to Elizabeth, she had said nothing to the gentleman, hoping that her daughter would have enough common sense to accept him, but she suspected that he would not be well received. If she had been able she would have immediately told Mr. Collins to turn to Mary who was maybe the least beautiful but also the most indulgent towards the gentleman.

Mrs. Bennet was sure that only a few encouragements were need for Mary to accept him, the problem was that she had to convince Mr. Collins to turn his interest toward a new Miss Bennet, for the third time. But if Mrs. Bennet knew something in life it was how to attract the attention of a gentleman. After a brief conversation with Mary, Mrs. Bennet arranged for Mr. Collins and Mary to be alone, Mr. Bennet was in his study and Elizabeth was in her room, with Jane as sole company and she sent Kitty and Lydia upstairs to work on their bonnets – of course Mrs. Bennet could not actually leave them alone, she conveniently chose the farthest place from them and seemed to doze off quickly.

All the Bennet were pleased with this arrangement, none of them having to keep company to their cousin. The weather had not improved, and Mr. Collins himself was happy to have as companion his young cousin, who seemed the only one to appreciate his company. The girl, although physically less charming than her sisters, was nevertheless intellectually and spiritually very bright. The young girl showed great interest in books, the right kind, and discussed with joy her readings.

To the delight of Mr. Collins his young cousin possessed all the qualities that Lady Catherine, and himself, could wish to find in his future bride. She had nothing of the foolishness of her young sisters, preferring study to amusement, devoting herself for long hours to her books and pianoforte. Moreover, she did not seem to be one of the young girls with ridiculous romantic notions, clearly her mind was perfectly adapted to be the wife of a clergyman.

Mary did not seem to be disturbed by her cousin's sudden attentiveness, on the contrary she seemed rather happy even though she was not used to it. Perhaps she would have been less inclined to accept the sudden advances of Mr. Collins if she had not so often heard since her childhood that she was the least charming of the Bennet girls.

But in truth she rated his abilities high, at least higher than her sisters did, she was often struck by the solidity of his reflections. She did not think of him as clever as herself, but he seemed eager to please and to improve himself. She had the presentiment that well guided he could become a pleasant companion and a good husband. Thus, the many compliments of Mr. Collins were surprising but no less pleasant. Little by little she noticed less and less the ridicule of her cousin, she even found his appearance more agreeable than she had at first glance.

Therefore, Mary was set to accept Mr. Collins if he ever proposed to her. However, the girl knew that it was unlikely to happen any time soon, he was supposed to leave in less than two days. Fortunately, Mr. Collins had come to Hertfortshire to find a fiancée, and his mind was set to return to Kent with one.

In a speech, again carefully prepared the day before, he declared to his cousin his wish to set the example of matrimony in his parish, following the advice of his patroness, and his determination to choose his future wife among his cousins. Moreover, he was kind enough to reassured her that her total lack of wealth did not matter before expressing the extent of his affection. Fortunately for him he was right when he thought that Mary was not a romantic woman, indeed she did not take offense during his proposal and accepted immediately.

After a brief interview with Mr. Bennet it was decided, following to the request of Mr. Collins, Lady Catherine and Mrs. Bennet, that the betrothal would be short-lived. Thus, it was planned that Mary Bennet would become Mrs. Collins in the first days of January.

When all the details were settled, all that remained was to announce the news to the rest of the family and then to their friends. The reactions varied greatly, especially among the sisters of Mary. Lydia, and therefore Kitty, only laughed before returning their attention to their new bonnets. Jane and Elizabeth, although surprised, congratulated the young couple. If these congratulations were sincere on Jane's part, Elizabeth gave them only out of politeness, the girl being too shocked to say anything else.

To the relief of Elizabeth, the rector left the next day, having only to suffer a day of remarks on the importance of modesty and reason in a young lady. After his departure Elizabeth turned her mind toward her sister, Mary's betrothal left her utterly lost, she had always perceived her as intelligent and it was difficult to understand how she might wish to marry their cousin. To better understand Mary Elizabeth sought to get closer to her, asking her company during their walks to Meryton or asking about her readings.

Although initially reluctant to this rapprochement, Mary soon found many similarities with Elizabeth. It was during the first weeks of December that the two sisters started deepening their relationship. Their loves for books and the pianoforte initiated many discussions, and soon Mary found herself accompanying Elizabeth during some of her, usually solitary, morning walks.

Mary would never have admitted it, but she had always been envious of Jane, not for her beauty or kindness so valued by their mother and friends but for her relationship with Elizabeth. Since a young age she had tried to emulate Elizabeth, trying to imitate her as often younger siblings do. It was because of her sister that Mary had developed a taste for the pianoforte and books, the little girl dreaming of afternoons spent practicing duets or reading next to Elizabeth and their father in his library.

But, no matter how hard Mary tried, Jane had always been Elizabeth's favoured sister, her companion and confidante. Finally, as Mary grew up, she resolved to accept her loneliness, choosing to retreat into her studies, thinking that when she would shine enough people would seek her company by their own accord. It was a bitter-sweet feeling that this new rapprochement was born at the dawn of their separation.

The more their friendship deepened, the more Elizabeth had trouble accepting Mary's future wedding. While Jane thought Mr. Collins was a respectable man, Elizabeth could not help questioning her younger sister's choice. One afternoon had been enough to fix her opinion concerning Mr. Collins, he was obsequious and ridiculous. How could Mary ever be happy with such a man for husband? During one of their walks she managed to subtly question her about her feelings. Mary, as per usual, was frank, not denying the defects of her fiancé but emphasizing his attractions and the benefits she and their family derived from this marriage. After all they were not very rich, and her own accomplishments could be said to be limited compared to other, more fortunate, young women, realistically her prospects were small.

Elizabeth had refrained from continuing this discussion, but she could not help thinking that her younger sister had suffered a great injustice. That by their negligence her family had condemned her to live with a ridiculous man, one that she could not love nor respect. For a long time, Elizabeth had witnessed the neglect of her parents but now she had to face hers and her pride took a blow, she had failed Mary, she had not fulfilled her role as an older sister. But if she had neglected Mary Bennet until then she swore to be Mrs. Collins' favourite confidante.

The Gardiners, Mrs. Bennet's brother and his wife, arrived at Longbourn a few days before Christmas. The previous day Mary had proposed to Elizabeth to come and spend Easter with her in Kent this year, Elizabeth had wanted to accept immediately but her uncle and aunt had planned to take her with them during the following months.

Fortunately, everything was arranged by Mary, the girl proposed that Lydia should go to London instead of Elizabeth. The two sisters had often discussed Kitty and Lydia during their walks, both thought that separating them from each other would do them good. Logically Kitty should be the one to go with the Gardiners but it was better to keep Lydia and their mother apart, and for those few months Kitty could benefit from Jane's example.

On the eve of the wedding Jane and Elizabeth took care of Mary's toilet, while discussing the future responsibilities that awaited her and after hours of speaking the girls finally fell asleep all huddled in Mary's bed.

The wedding took place in the first days of January, the ceremony was as long, correct and solemn as the marriage of a rector demanded. And, when all was over, Elizabeth and her sisters were saddened to see Mary leave, although promises were exchanged regarding a faithful correspondence.

Only a few days after the wedding the Bennets received a letter of the new Mrs. Collins, and soon a correspondence was established between Longbourn and Hunsford. Although each member of the family wrote to Mary, Elizabeth was the principal and most faithful of the correspondents and soon Mary reminded her of her promise to visit in March.

And now Elizabeth was on her way to Kent, both anticipating and dreading the reunion with her sister. But as she was not happy to let her nervousness dominate her she turned her attention to the landscape and the pleasant thoughts they evoked.


	2. Chapter 2

First I want to thank everyone for the reviews/follows/favourites ! Also it's the first time I write since high school (something other than history essays) and I'm not English, everything is very new/strange so if you have any advices or corrections to share, don't hesitate to review or pm me.

Actually I've a question that someone will be able to answer : when do you think Darcy and the Colonel would have called at the Parsonnage in my story ? Darcy doesn't know Lizzie yet so he wouldn't have came back with Mr. Collins, right ?

* * *

The journey from Longbourn to Hunsford was planned to take two days, the first would bring Elizabeth to London where she would spend the day with the Gardiners, the next day she would arrive in Kent.

Upon her arrival at Gracechurch Street she was greeted warmly by her uncle and aunt as well as Lydia and her four young cousins. The day was spent in the most pleasant way, the morning was for shopping and the evening for the theatre. It was there that Mrs. Gardiner and Elizabeth were able to talk on their own, mainly discussing Lydia and Mary.

During the day Elizabeth had witnessed several changes in her sister. Lydia had not lost her good-humoured countenance, nor her self-confidence, but she seemed less self-involved, less self-entitled, and more patient. Apparently, the company of their four cousins, and the task of watching over them, seemed to benefit the young girl.

Finally, they came to talk about Mary and Elizabeth's trip, the niece confided to her aunt her impatience to see her younger sister but also her anxiety. The weeks before the wedding had brought the two girls together, but Elizabeth feared that the months apart would have changed their relationship again. Mrs. Gardiner did her best to reassure her niece, reminding her of their voluminous correspondence was a sign that their new friendship was deeper than a moment of sentimentality. It was true that during the past three months the two sisters had scrupulously written each other weekly. These letters helped not only to solidify their friendship but to reassure Elizabeth about Mary's marital status. She often recounted her conversations with her husband, showing discreetly the changes, that Mr. Collins seemed to have begun since their marriage.

Thus, the next day, as Elizabeth was traveling the five and twenty miles to Hunsford, the girl's thoughts were much happier. It was the first trip she made to this area and she was happy to be able to focus only on the landscape and not her anxiety. In a few weeks she would make the opposite trip and she would then have the opportunity to admire the changes that spring would have brought.

Finally, after almost six hours of travel the carriage left the main road and Elizabeth knew that she would soon be with her sister, she was frantically searching for the parsonage, believing to see Mary at every turn. Fortunately for her nerves the rectory was quickly seen, and Mary was there, standing on the threshold of the door, watching anxiously for the arrival of the carriage. The driver stopped in front of the little black gate, Elizabeth was barely out of the carriage that Mary was in front of her, the two sisters hugging each other with joy, laughing at themselves.

When they came to their senses, Elizabeth saw that Mr. Collins had taken the previous place of his wife and she was surprised to see that Mr. Collins was giving them a radiant smile, she thought the pastor would not have approved their demonstration of sentimentality.

After this reunion, the Collins didn't detained Elizabeth too long at the gate, they brought her in, ensuring that she receives all she could be in need of. To her surprise his cousin was more concerned about her welfare than with pointing out the advantages of the rectory or the benefits of being the wife of a Parson. At first he had asked news about her family but without his former formal civility, and he seemed to hold no bitterness against Elizabeth and her refusal. Mary was guiding the conversation, choosing the topics carefully to please everyone, and he seemed happy to follow her. Thus the day was spend in a pleasant discussion about music and books and the events of the past months, at Longbourn and at Hunsford. Elizabeth could only admire the change in her cousin and the calm influence her sister had over her husband.

During the following days Elizabeth was happy to see that the marital joy that Mary had presented to her in the letters was true, the admiration she had initially felt for Mr. Collins seemed to have changed during their time in Kent into a sincere love. Elizabeth was even more pleased to witness the reciprocity of these feelings, it was undeniable that Mr. Collins not only greatly admired Mary but felt great affection for her. It was not by direct speeches, he wasn't declaiming his eternal love in a flowery address, but he showed it by subtle gestures and particular attentions, which only a man seeking to please his wife would do. Through these different observations all the fears of Elizabeth disappeared, and the girl was glad to concentrate her mind only on the pleasure of being in Kent, with a sister she loved and a brother she didn't despise.

An invitation to dinner at Rosings was given a few days after Elizabeth's arrival and, when Mr. Collins informed her, he could not help but praise Lady Catherine and their good fortune in a long and pompous speech. She could not restrain a smile at this outburst, apparently there were still some remnants of former Mr. Collins in him, however she withdrew any judgment, for the benefit of Mary. Fortunately, the conversation quickly changed of subject, her cousin went back to his pleasant self and thankfully the dinner was only discussed again only when they were on the way to Rosings.

It seemed that the closer the Parson was to Rosings the more he found his former flaws that had displeased Elizabeth so much in Hertfordshire. The walk was very pleasant, the girl was able to admire Lady Catherine's park, but she did not enjoy hearing Mr. Collins discuss Rosings' number of windows and their cost. When they arrived, Elizabeth turned to her Mary, she did not seem particularly embarrassed by her husband's attitude or even anxious to see Lady Catherine, which reassured Elizabeth. She had never been one to be impressed by a person's wealth or rank, and nothing that Mr. Collins had told her had given her a reason to be nervous.

On their arrival they were greeted by three ladies, Lady Catherine, her daughter, Anne De Bourg, and Mrs. Jenkinson, her companion. Elizabeth took great pleasure in observing these new acquaintances, Lady Catherine was formidable both in her physique and in her character. The lady was tall and broad, and her face, which now bore the signs of the passing time, had strong features as if her body was a representation of her psyche. During the evening Elizabeth could compare the portrait she had drawn of Lady Catherine by the descriptions of her cousin and sister to the truth, and she was rather proud to not have been totally mistaken. Her manners were authoritarian, almost dictatorial, and she took great pride in her rank and wealth, never letting her guests forget their inferiority.

Her daughter was her perfect counterpart, in her physique and in her temperament, Miss de Bourg was small and frail, never speaking except when she answered, murmuring, to Mrs. Jenkinson's questions. Her face could have been pretty if she had not been so pale and sick, and Elizabeth could not help wondering what sickness the girl was suffering.

The dinner was exceedingly handsome and impressive, although the two Bennet sisters were not particularly impressed by all the food and the elaborate dishes, they had always preferred simple dishes to complicated ones. But Mr. Collins was enthusiastic enough to satisfy his patroness.

Lady Catherine took a great interest in the Bennets and wanted to know as much as possible about them, their family and relationships and their education. She had already asked this question when she first met Mary but want to hear them again, especially since her older sister was there. She claimed that Mary's great application was perfect for Mr. Collins, and that although her accomplishments were not varied, she had some talent for the pianoforte. Lady Catherine even invited Elizabeth that evening to accompany her sister to Rosings so that she too could enjoy the pianoforte in Mrs. Jenkinson's room, they would be in nobody's way in that part of the house.

If Elizabeth's feelings were varied regarding Lady Catherine, she acknowledged that her invitation to use the pianoforte, although formulated rather unsavoury, was generous. Mary had always been assiduous in her practice of music and Elizabeth had no doubt that she must regret that the presbytery does not have a pianoforte. Lady Catherine must have been informed, probably by Mr. Collins, and had solved the problem, for which reason Elizabeth was grateful.

Lady Catherine seemed particularly intrigued by Elizabeth, questioning her at length about her accomplishments and her interests but also about the gentlemen she knew or met in Hertfordshire. The girl had been somewhat troubled by these questions but was used to these manners and did not let nervousness, or annoyance, win her.

Elizabeth was relieved to observe that although Mary listened attentively to Lady Catherine and appreciated Lady Catherine's generous patronage, she did not blindly follow her advice. Mary had too much pride and character to blindly follow anyone, even though her vanity had gradually faded during the last months.

Finally, after the dinner was consumed, the sexes separated, the tea drunk and the card games played, Lady Catherine offered the carriage to Mrs. Collins, who accepted graciously. After a last thank from Mr. Collins to Lady Catherine, they were on their way to the rectory. In the carriage Elizabeth was immediately questioned about her impressions of Lady Catherine and all she had seen, drank, and eaten at Rosings, her cousin eagerly awaiting her praise.

That night, when she was alone in her room, Elizabeth did not know what to think of her cousin. Until that dinner she had changed her mind about him, gladly acknowledging that Mary had worked miracles with her husband, but now she doubted, maybe Mr. Collins had not changed, after all did one could change only through the influence of his beloved ?Hher worries about her sister's future resurfaced.

After this evening at Rosings, the days passed by pleasantly at the Parsonage, they were spent either in the garden or in the dining parlor to read, write or talk. Regularly Miss Bourg came with her phaeton and was sometimes convinced to take some refreshments inside. Several times in the week Mary and Elizabeth went to Rosings to practice the pianoforte, sometimes Miss de Bourg and Mrs. Jenkinson even came to attend their performances.

The only unpleasant moments for Elizabeth were when Lady Catherine came to visit them because these visits brought out all the faults of her cousin. At the sight of his patroness he became again the most pompous and obsequious of men.

Barely ten days after her arrival, while they were dining in Rosings, they learned that Lady Catherine would also receive family, her two nephews, a Mr. Darcy and a Colonel Fitzwilliam, were coming soon. Mr. Collins and Mary seemed to have heard of gentlemen before, but Lady Catherine seemed happy to find an audience unfamiliar with her nephews in the person of Elizabeth. She was particularly pleased with the arrival of Mr. Darcy, whom she spoke with the greatest admiration and was apparently the future fiancé of her daughter.

Lady Catherine was eager to excite the curiosity of her guests and especially Elizabeth, she seemed to have a certain pleasure in emphasizing the importance of her nephews and the rank gap that existed between them and the Collins. However, neither Elizabeth nor Mary were of a superficial nature and they preferred to judge men not on their wealth or rank but on their character, thus, the two young women felt no nervousness about meeting Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam.

Elizabeth was not sure she would like the company of the two gentlemen if Lady Catherine's description was true, but she was happy nonetheless to meet new people. She was enjoying her stay in Kent and was glad to be close with her younger sister again, but Mary was a married woman now and had responsibilities that sometimes forced her to leave her sister alone. Elizabeth understood this perfectly, and she did enjoy some solitude, but she like novelty too and studying peoples' characters, Lady Catherine's nephews could only be interesting cases.

The young woman did not even wait for their arrival to begin to draw their portraits. Elizabeth did not know what to expect from the gentlemen, but she took a certain pleasure in imagining them, relying on the different descriptions of their physiques and their characters made by Lady Catherine. She had few illusions, the two men were probably similar to their aunt or cousin, and frankly she didn't know which one of the two was best. If her imagination was right, she hoped that the dinner invitations at Rosings would then be diminished, which was very likely anyway since Lady Catherine did not seem eager to share the company of her nephews with the Collins and their provincial sister.

Elizabeth could not resist sharing her thoughts about the mysterious Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam with her sister, and although Mary laughed heartily at her ideas, she could not help but notice a slight frown.

"Why this grimace? "

At this question Mary looked away and blushed slightly.

"Your portrait of Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam is very amusing, but I do not think he is very charitable. It would not be fair to attribute the merits or flaws of a parent to their children. We must judge a man only by his own merits or defects, and not allow our prejudices to obscure our judgment. "

Elizabeth felt chastised, and for a few moments just stared at the garden through the window. She had to admit that Mary was right and that she had let her mind have fun at the expense of fairness.

"I guess you're right but still you have to admit that it's likely to be the truth, Lady Catherine herself insists on Mr. Darcy's pride"

"Certainly, but there is no harm in family pride, especially among men of such rank, Colonel Fitzwilliam is the son of an Earl after all. And one cannot know if their aunt's description is true or not, a parent may have a truncate opinion about a family member. Imagine what mother would say of her different daughters and I think that neither you nor I would like a stranger to get an idea by mother's description or opinion "

After this conversation Elizabeth gave up her thoughts about the Rosings gentlemen and did not think about them until the day Mr. Collins came back one morning to announce that he had seen the gentlemen's carriage passing by. The next morning, he hurried to Rosings to pay his respects, and Elizabeth had a hard time holding back a mocking smile.


	3. Chapter 3

When Mr. Collins returned from Rosings, alone, he had many things to tell his wife and sister. He seemed to have observed and noted everything he could about Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam, and for some reason, that Elizabeth did not really understand, he thought he should share them. There was something ridiculous about discussing gentlemen they had never met, and they would probably never see again after their visit. However, Elizabeth could not help but be a little intrigued about these mysterious gentlemen, after all Lady Catherine had been singing their praises for a week and she wanted to see if they lived up to it.

Unfortunately, the comments of Mr. Collins weren't very useful, the Parson seemed only able to speak about their clothes and their civility, both a sign of their good breeding and high nobility. After the third description of their coats and the fourth declaration of his good fortune to have been able to meet them, his sister stopped listening to him.

Although Elizabeth did not particularly want to spend an evening at Rosings, a part of her was desirous to be introduced to the newcomers. But it was clear that Lady Catherine wasn't very eager to share the company of her nephews, indeed it was only after almost a week that they were invited to spend the evening at Rosings.

However, during the days before the dinner, Elizabeth had the opportunity to see Mr. Darcy and the Colonel Fitzwilliam a few times. The first encounter was the same day that Mr. Collins called on them, Mary and she had gone to Rosings to use the pianoforte. They were surprised to see, while they were walking in the park, three men who seemed in the middle of a serious conversation. The two sisters did not stop but their attention was immediately drowned to them.

"The one in the middle is Mr. Allen the steward of Rosings, so I suppose the other two gentlemen are Mr. Darcy and the Colonel Fitzwilliam," Mary remarked.

With all the descriptions from Lady Catherine and then Mr. Collins gave them they knew that the tallest of the gentleman was Mr. Darcy. His clothes were very fine, and his coat seems to make him even taller, his features were handsome but slightly diminished by the frown marbling his face, sadly they couldn't see the Colonel as his back was facing them. But it didn't stop them to speak about the gentlemen for the rest of their walk.

The following days were full of impromptu encounters, especially in the mornings when it appears that everyone was out for a walk. Of course, they could not speak without a proper introduction, but the two gentlemen seemed by their attitudes, especially by the Colonel's intrigued look, be aware of who they were. Elizabeth preferred not to know what Lady Catherine had said to her nephews about Mary and her.

From this few glimpsed Elizabeth would say that the most pleasant of the two was Colonel Fitzwilliam, he had in his air and his gait something jovial that made him immediately sympathetic. His cousin, on the contrary, seemed much more reserved, at the limit of coldness, an impression that was accentuated by his appearance and posture. But this aloofness seemed only for them, when Mary and she were present, because Elizabeth had witnessed that when he wasn't aware of their presence yet he seemed very friendly, often laughing with the Colonel. All these thoughts she shared with Mary when they were alone.

"I think your observations are correct, the Colonel seems very agreeable, that's probably why Mr. Darcy asked him to come with him, he would have been quite lonely at Rosings otherwise with only Lady Catherine and Miss de Bourg. But nevertheless, I would say that we should not judge the gentlemen before we have even said a word to them, after all perhaps Mr. Darcy is as pleasant as his cousin in private company. You know, it is not always easy to meet new people and to be graceful in an unknown society"

While answering Mary had a flush on her cheeks, her eyes fixed on the floor, and immediately Elizabeth felt remorse, she didn't mean to slight her sister, she didn't think that Mary could compare herself to Mr. Darcy. They had in the past weeks spoke about Mary's former behaviour, Mary was mortified to see how her manners had been perceived as conceit and pedantic when she only wanted to do her best and be appreciated.

"You seem to be much wiser than me, little sister. I readily admit that you are right and that I will not judge the two gentlemen before having spoken to them. No, even better, I would even hold back any judgment before leaving, so that I would have a perfect overview! But be careful I risk being as pragmatic as Charlotte or as kind as Jane, and then you'll have only yourself to blame" Elizabeth replied happily, hoping to change her sister's mind.

A week after the gentlemen's arrival, on Easter-day, they were invited to spend the evening at Rosings. Finally, it was in the drawing room of Rosings that Lady Catherine made the proper presentations between her guests and her nephews. Colonel Fitzwilliam immediately made a good impression by engaging a conversation with the three guests, asking them questions after questions, his attention especially turned toward Mary and Elizabeth. Mr. Darcy contented himself with offering the necessary politeness, a frown still marbling his forehead, and quickly turned his attention to Lady Catherine, who had summoned him to sit near her and her daughter.

Elizabeth was not disappointed with the evening, never during her stay in Kent had she spent such a pleasant evening at Rosings. The Colonel was most truly the gentleman, he had sat down with her and Mary while Mr. Collins left to attend Lady Catherine, and spent the time before the dinner entertaining them as best he could. They had spent a good part of the evening discussing music and literature, the pleasures of nature, the invigorating effect of morning walks, the joys of travel and correspondence between siblings.

Their conversation was so pleasant and lively that they soon attracted the attention of others in the room. Mr. Collins looked with indulgence his wife and sister discussing so pleasantly, but Lady Catherine seemed slightly wrathful of the distraction while Mr. Darcy seemed intrigued eyeing alternatively his cousin and the two ladies. Lady Catherine couldn't stand to be left from a conversation and demanded to his nephew to share the subject of their conversation.

"We are discussing the joys of music, aunt," replied the Colonel, his head still turned toward the two Bennets sisters, hoping to resume the conversation without further interruption.

Unfortunately, Lady Catherine was fixed to have a part in the conversation, exclaiming her pleasure of music and her untapped talent for this art. Then again, she turned her attention to Mr. Darcy, questioning him about his sister dedication for her lessons. Elizabeth was interested to learn more about Mr. Darcy, and she was frankly surprised to learn about his sister. She was moved to hear the gentleman speak so tenderly of his sister, apparently Mr. Darcy was very pride of her and her accomplishments.

However, she wondered why she had not come to Rosings, after all she was also Lady Catherine's niece, it was surprising she didn't accompany her brother. But Elizabeth's reflexion was stopped when she heard Lady Catherine talk about Mary and her to his nephews.

"There is no instrument in the presbytery and, as there isn't such thing as too much practice, I generously offered to Mrs. Collins and her sister to come to practice pianoforte in the room of Mrs. Jenkinson. After all, they would be in nobody's way in that part of the house "

Elizabeth was a little bit startled by this remark, her eyes flying immediately towards Mr. Darcy and the Colonel Fitzwilliam. She was glad to detect some discomfort from Mr. Darcy, maybe the gentleman wasn't entirely like his aunt after all, and to see an embarrassed rictus on the Colonel's face.

The dinner was once again exquisite, the table displaying all the traditional Easter dishes and Elizabeth gladly acknowledged that she had never tasted such a good Simnel cake. And soon it was time for the ladies to return to the drawing room to make the tea while the men remained to enjoy some port and smoke.

Once the ladies gone, the dining room was an awkward picture, the three gentlemen didn't seem to know what to speak about, on who to focus their eyes or even what to do with their hands. The Colonel was the first to regain his spirit, walking to the port to pour them a drink. Mr. Collins was a conundrum, the Colonel wasn't sure what to speak with him, they only talked for a few minutes at the start of the evening before the Parson was summoned by Lady Catherine. During a good part of the evening Mr. Collins had not made a good impression, always trying to please and to coax his aunt or Darcy and him. It was a mystery that he could had secured Mrs. Collins as his wife, the two sisters were unassuming and charming, they didn't seem to care about his father or his rank, they didn't try to draw Darcy in their conversation. But during the evening, the Colonel had had some visions of the relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Collins, they seemed to share a deep affection for each other, the tender looks they shared during the meal was all the proof the Colonel needed. Maybe the man had more to him than just being Lady Catherine's sycophant Parson.

Of course, Darcy would not help him in this case, he would just smoke and drink in moderation, waiting impatiently that the appropriate amount of time had passed to join the ladies. But the Colonel was resolved to be pleasant with Mr. Collins, only for the sake of Mrs. Collins and Miss Bennet. But at his surprise he didn't have to find a subject, the Parson already had one.

"You seem to have a gift to make you appreciate in all the companies, Colonel Fitzwilliam," remarked Mr. Collins.

The Colonel hoped that the pastor would not use the flattery he used for his aunt on him.

"It's easy to please your companions when they are as charming as your wife and sister. I need to congratulate you for your recent marriage, and especially for the choice of your wife "

At this answer Mr. Collins blushed slightly, perhaps by the memory that it had taken two refusals to finally choose Mary Bennet, and warmly thanked the Colonel pointing out that indeed he had been very lucky. The conversation then continued, the Colonel asking some questions about Mrs. Collins and Miss Bennet, who was apparently one of the rectory's favourites subject and seemed the least likely to cause an unwitting outburst of flattery. Surprisingly, more the time passed and more the Colonel found his interlocutor sympathetic, the man was not particularly brilliant or impressive, but he was not petty and the pleasure he had to discuss his family made him likeable. The Colonel could well excuse his tendency to get carried away at Rosings, in front of his aunt, after all Lady Catherine often had this tendency on the people who depended on her. Perhaps in the intimacy of the presbytery, near the calm Mrs. Collins, the man was more serene.

Finally, the conversation came to an end and the three gentlemen agreed to join the ladies, when they entered the Colonel almost laughed when he saw Miss Bennet's face. Apparently, Lady Catherine took the time of the separation to give again advices to the sisters on their different accomplishments and Miss Bennet didn't seem to enjoy it. Thankfully the arrival of Darcy seemed enough to distract Lady Catherine, and the Colonel took the opportunity to save the two sisters.

"As we have discussed music earlier, and Mr. Collins has just assured me that you were charming players, perhaps you would be kind enough to play for us now"

Elizabeth was not sure she wanted to play in front of this audience, which had probably heard better musicians than her. She was not afraid to play but she would rather not play in front of strangers who did not have the same generosity to her talents as her friends in Hertfordshire. But Mary did not hesitate for a moment and settled down at the pianoforte, her talent was still equal to what it was at Longbourn, but her manners had softened, her air was less pedantic, which made her performance more enjoyable for the audience.

Then, it was Elizabeth's turn to play and as usual the audience, or at least the gentlemen, were charmed. Her skills at the instrument were not what made the demonstration pleasant, Mary was her superior in technic, but the obvious pleasure she took, the feelings she put in the playing and her simple manner gave a very charming picture.

At the request of the gentlemen, the two sisters remained on the instrument, playing even a few duets, until the evening ended, and the carriage of Lady Catherine were offered to Mrs. Collins. On their way to the Parsonage the Collins and Elizabeth agreed it was one of their most pleasant evening at Rosings, and praised the Colonel's manners and character. But for Elizabeth it was a pity that the rest of his family wasn't as agreeable.

Shortly after the end of the evening, while discussing the evening with Darcy in his room, the Colonel thought that the addition of the Collins was a blessing, they would be a good distraction from the inhabitants of Rosings. He wondered what would be the most appropriate time to call on them, and if he should try to convince Darcy to come with him.


	4. Chapter 4

After their last drink, the Colonel left his cousin and returned to his room. He had thought about his visit to the Collins the next day and had chosen to not talk to Darcy about it, not tonight at least. He had hesitated to take advantage of Darcy's mild drunkenness earlier to ask him to accompany him to the rectory, but Darcy was never drunk enough to let someone take advantage of him. And even if he was, he would not hesitate to go back on his promise once he was sober. He would not take kindly that his own cousin tried to take advantage of him and a visit to the Collins wasn't worth to receive Darcy's ire. Thus, he had decided to ask him the next morning, before breakfast, even before going downstairs.

Therefore, the Colonel was waiting in front of his cousin's room the next morning. It was rare for him to get up early when he was not working and, even then, Darcy was often out before him. But the Colonel knew that the Collins did not follow the Town's hours and that they were probably already up, maybe they even had finished their breakfast already. Finally, Darcy came out of his room, surprised to see his cousin waiting for him.

"What is Richard? Is it Georgiana?" Darcy asked, suddenly worried, it was rare for Richard to get up before him, especially when they were at Rosings.

"No, no," the Colonel immediately reassured, blaming himself for frightening his cousin, it wasn't a good start.

"There is no reason to worry, I just thought it would be better to wait for you, we could go downstairs together"

At this answer Darcy stopped short and turned a sceptical look towards his cousin.

"You lie, there are only two possibilities for you to wait for me like a dog would wait for his master. Either you don't want to be alone with our aunt, or you have an idea in mind and wish my participation or my approval. But if that was the first reason you would just stay in your room waiting or you would have asked for food to be send. So, the only reason is that you want to get something out of me. "

The Colonel could not restrain a laugh, he knew Darcy wouldn't be easy to fool but he had hoped that he schemed would last a little bit longer.

"Apparently, it's impossible to surprise you, so yes, I admit I'd like to submit an idea, but have no fear I want nothing more than your company", as Darcy still had to a sceptical look on his face the Colonel continued.

"You see I had the idea that after our breakfast we could go outside, enjoy the weather for a bit"

"It's a brilliant idea, I must admit that I particularly like to spend Monday outside after a Sunday spent inside. Do you have a destination in mind? Of course, we cannot be away for too long.

", I thought we could stay in the area and afterwards we could even call to the Parsonage, give our greetings to the Collins"

"Do you mean the Parson and his wife? " asked Darcy incredulously.

The Colonel could not hold back a sigh, sometimes his cousin despaired him, he was almost as snob as his brother John, the earl's heir.

"Yes, it's them and yesterday thanks to them and Miss Bennet I spent one of the most enjoyable evenings I had at Rosings. I think now that we have been introduced it would be nice to call, especially since we are leaving in less than a week.

"And I am supposed to believe that you want to go only because you find their company agreeable and not because Mrs. Collins' sister had caught your fancy? "

"She did not catch my fancy!" protested the Colonel a little too violently, "But I readily admit that Miss Bennet is charming, and you would be of my opinion if you had deigned to address more than two sentences to her yesterday."

Darcy snorted, "I'm glad to let you play the role of amusing the sister of our aunt's rector"

"Thank you, my dear cousin, it is a role I find far superior to keeping our aunt and cousin company." He had been drier than he wanted to, but sometimes Darcy knew how to annoy him.

During their conversation they walked down the stairs and just when they were in front of the breakfast's parlour the Colonel turned to his cousin, "I intend to go to the Parsonage after breakfast, you are free to accompany me but if it's only to see you for half an hour with a scowl on your face you can remain with Lady Catherine and Anne", after that the Colonel entered the room without paying more attention to his cousin, his annoyance with Darcy clearly palpable.

Inside, Lady Catherine was already seated, spreading jam on her rolls, and as they each settled next to her, she deplored, as every morning, that they keep Town's hours even when visiting Kent. The meal was quite embarrassing for both cousins, although Lady Catherine did not seem to be aware of anything, she kept talking during the entire course of the meal, only asking questions from time to time to Darcy. The Colonel, after having greeted his aunt, didn't not say another word, spending his meal drinking his tea and staring at the piece of bread on his plate.

"Why Richard was reacting so violently?" wondered Darcy, "After all it was not as if he had insulted one of his close friends". He had only been surprised by Richard's interest in people so different, whom he would probably never see again after their departure. Perhaps his tone had been a little scorned, but Richard had to understand why, after all the Collins were hardly from the same sphere as them.

When the Colonel had drunk the last drop of his tea he took his leave, without a look at his cousin. Darcy wanted to catch him, but he could not leave like that, his aunt would ask him to stay or why he wanted to leave without finishing his meal. He stayed, eating quickly his toasts and gulping his tea. When he finally left the breakfast room he saw Richard in the hall, putting his gloves on, clearly, he was about to go out.

"Richard! Hold on!" Darcy exclaimed. He didn't know what he want to say but he couldn't let Richard go angry.

"I think I'll go with you, I need to get some fresh air and it'll be a nice walk after all." It wasn't what he wanted to say but it was what came out of his mouth. He was a bit embarrassed to have agreed to come after his comment on the Collins and he almost took back his statement when he saw the smug expression of Richard.

Being in Kent didn't change Elizabeth's morning habits, every day she got up early, wrote a few letters, most often to Jane or her aunt Gardiner, sometimes to Charlotte, after that she joined Mary downstairs and together they went out for a walk. They returned in to time to take their breakfast with Mr. Collins, who after the meal left the two sisters to work in his study. Alone, Mary and Elizabeth were reading, talking or working, sometimes they received a few visits, often it was only Miss de Bourg who had finally took the habit of coming to the Parsonage for some refreshments when she was passing in her phaeton.

That Monday morning Elizabeth went for a walk alone, when she went downstairs Mary was still settling details with her maid. This solitary ride did not bother her, she liked being able to be a little alone with her thoughts. The night before had been very pleasant and had made her think, or rather the hosts had made her think. This morning she amused herself by comparing the different members of the family, she was really surprised that the Colonel was from the same family, the gentleman was so amusing and unassuming. On the contrary, she was not surprised that Mr. Darcy was Lady Catherine's nephew, not that there was a physical resemblance, but she had perceived a similarity in their countenance and deportment. Proudness was probably something running in the blood of their family.

Her mind turned to Mr. Darcy, even after meeting the gentleman he kept a bit of mystery, he hardly spoke to them and she had learned almost nothing new about him, except that he had a sister who played the pianoforte. In short Elizabeth had little reason to think of Mr. Darcy's goodness, and if she was in Longbourn she would have probably laughed about his character and manners, but the Colonel seemed very close to his cousin and seemed to admire him greatly. Their relationship was almost fraternal and if the Colonel thought so much of his cousin then he had to have certain qualities.

Returning to the parsonage, she joined Mary and her husband at the breakfast table, ready to start the meal. The conversation turned to Elizabeth's walk and the weather, and soon the young woman quickly forgot about the inhabitants of Rosings.

After breakfast Mr. Collins left them to work while the two sisters were still discussing their family and plans for Kitty and Lydia. Jane and their aunt Gardiner wrote regularly, giving them details about their two younger sisters. Apparently, both were making progress, Mrs. Gardiner assured them that Lydia was finally growing and leaving being her puerility. Jane was trying to Kitty away from their mother and her influence, sometimes Kitty was still a bit frivolous, but she really tried to emulate Jane's calm behaviour.

Elizabeth was reading to Mary the last letter from their aunt when suddenly Mr. Collins entered the room, his excitation evident. He had just seen Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam outside, from his study's window, and they were about to call. The two women had barely time to record the information that the two gentlemen of Rosings were in front of them. The Colonel was the first to come in, his mood seemed particularly good this morning, while his cousin stood slightly behind him, with his usual air of haughty reserve.

The gentlemen did not stay much more than fifteen minutes, Mr. Darcy reminding his cousin of an appointment with their aunt's steward, but the Colonel seemed in no hurry to go. Elizabeth could not blame him, the poor man probably had to find Rosings quite austere and the company missing. But the seriousness of Mr. Darcy was admirable, after all he was here to help and be with his aunt. Of courses, to them his company was less pleasant than his cousin, but Lady Catherine was to be glad to have such a conscientious nephew.

During their call Mr. Darcy did not speak much after the necessary politeness but after a few moments Mr. Collins turned to him to talk about his business the previous week. Elizabeth was sitting next to her cousin and although her face was turned toward Mary and the Colonel, on her right, her attention was drawn to the conversation of the other two men. Apparently with Lady Day Mr. Darcy had been busy and he still had some details to sort out before their departure. From the answer to her cousin's questions Elizabeth learned that Mr. Darcy's visit was a yearly business, he came during one the "cross quarter days", most often during Lady Day or Michaelmas, to help his aunt. Elizabeth was surprised that Lady Catherine had asked anyone for help, but she remembered how fond of her nephew the lady was, and from what she said he was to be his future son-in-law and thus should know how to care for Rosings.

Slowly Mr. Darcy seemed to be more at ease, but when Mr. Collins asked a question about his estate in Derbyshire and the importance of the estate, the gentleman answered with a short and tense answer. Immediately after that Mr. Darcy reminded his cousin about their business with Mr. Allen. The Colonel looked unhappy for a moment, glancing at him coldly, but regained his good humour almost instantly and said goodbye to the Collins and Elizabeth warmly.

After this visit Mr. Collins returned to his work while the two sisters returned to their conversation, of course their first subject was about the Rosings' gentlemen and Mary could not resist teasing her sister.

"I do not think the Colonel would have been so eager to call on us if you were not here, Lizzie"

Elizabeth was surprised, and a slight blush coloured her cheeks, but she was able to respond quickly.

"I'm afraid you overestimate my charms, I'm not Jane after all. I sincerely believe that the Colonel only wishes to escape from Rosings and that we are his only salvation. Not that we have reason to complain, the Colonel is one of the most charming gentlemen of my acquaintance. "

Mary smiled and, with a slightly embarrassed look, replied hesitantly.

"Yes, he is very charming, a pity that he is the second son ... Lady Catherine has mentioned several times his need to find a wife who can provide for his way of living"

Elizabeth watched Mary carefully, "Is it for me?" She thought. At that idea she blushed again but wanted to reassure her sister immediately.

"I would feel sorry for the Colonel, but I am sure he will be able to find a wife who fulfils both his personal and pecuniary criteria."

Mary seemed glad to hear her answer and soon the conversation changed again, returning on Lydia et Kitty.

If Elizabeth had not given up her morning habits, Mary and she had also taken on a new routine: going to Rosings every Monday and Thursday to practice pianoforte. Elizabeth was not particularly eager to go but she knew that Lady Catherine's invitation meant a lot to Mary. This Monday, however, the two sisters hesitated, would it be to abuse hospitality to go there?

Finally, they chose to go anyway, after all they would not disturb anyone in this part of the house. However, when they arrived the room was already occupied, Miss de Bourg was even sitting on the pianoforte's stool, strumming lightly on the keys while Mrs. Jenkinson sat on one of the armchairs next to the instrument.

"Oh, sorry, we do not want to impose ourselves, we thought it was possible to use the pianoforte as every week" exclaimed Mary immediately.

"It looks like we cannot spend a Monday without playing" Elizabeth quipped.

"No, no, it's just you that we were waiting for, I feel in a musical mood today, I think the musical night yesterday influenced me" replied Miss de Bourg. Surprisingly she looked healthier today, her complexion pinker, her voice louder, Elizabeth wondered if her cousin's presence was the reason for her improvement.

Mary and Elizabeth were surprised and embarrassed by the attention, Miss de Bourg had already attended their pianoforte sessions a few times, but she usually arrived late and never stayed very long. But now the two sisters were struggling to be comfortable, they felt like intruders and their embarrassment seemed to be transmitted to Anne, who suddenly became paler and tired. Elizabeth's stomach ached for the young woman, she looked so happy a few moments ago. And Mary did not seem more comfortable, staring at the pianoforte with her hands worrying on her thighs. As always Elizabeth began to put everyone at ease. She had always been more assured than her sisters, except maybe Lydia. She had always love company and meeting new people, she knew how to interact with strangers and amuse them. It only took about ten minutes for everyone in the room to be finally at ease. She had let Mary start playing as she settled near Anne, slowly talking with her about Mary's talent and the pleasure of music. Quickly the room was filled with a joyful animation and a gentle hubbub.

While Mary was in the middle of one of her favourite songs the door opened, revealing Mr. Darcy and the Colonel. The gentlemen seemed surprised to see everybody in Mrs. Jenkinson's room, but soon the Colonel returned to his senses, expressing his joy.

"Anne, your mother asked us to come and see what you were doing and keep you company, but I see you don't need us to entertain you"

He greeted again the two sisters expressing his pleasure to see them again so quickly. Meanwhile, Mr. Darcy seemed embarrass, greeting all the ladies then standing on the back of the room, along the wall. He could see Mary, playing, but the others were turning their backs on him. The Colonel had chosen the place next to Elizabeth, not that he had any choice, there wasn't any other chair. Elizabeth conversed with him happily but after a few minutes she started to notice that Mr. Darcy seemed interested in their discussion. He had come closer to them, she could see him in her periphery and seemed to be listening to them and not to Mary's song. Elizabeth did not know why he was doing this, if he wanted to join their conversation he had to talk and not watch them. Did he disapprove of the Colonel's behaviour towards them? Did he think they were too inferior for their cousin to befriend them? Even Miss Bourg, though so reserved initially, had ended up being less distant. Maybe he thought as Mary, that the Colonel couldn't marry her and thus they shouldn't be so friendly. She didn't wish to dwell on these ideas and tried her best to ignore Mr. Darcy.

The gentlemen did not stay long, Mr. Darcy wishing to deal with some business since Anne did not need them. When they took their leave, Elizabeth looked closely at Miss de Bourg and her fiancé but did not detect any trace of inclination on either side. After they left, Anne asked Mary and Elizabeth to play a duet and the rest of their visit was spend agreeably, without any more interruption.


End file.
